CITYSCAPE | CHRISTCHURCH CURATED We have a whole host of winter treats for you from the worlds of music, art, theatre, food and drink. Also a full guide to celebrating Matariki. And someone with a fish on their head.
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Contents
CITYSCAPE MAGAZINE City Edit July 2023
CITY EDIT JULY 2023
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF & PUBLISHER
Andrea Rickerby EDITOR
Mark Wilson
10 // NEWSFEED Tip-offs, trends & more. 12 // WHAT'S ON Culture calendar.
26
WAIATA TO THE WORLD
28
20 BEAUTIFUL YEARS
CREATIVE
Tristan Brehaut ADMINISTRATION
Claire Ross
15 // LAPPING UP PUPPY LOVE Paris comes to Christchurch. 16 // STILL TELLING TRUTHS Meet the Local it's Flip Grater. 18 // MARKING MATARIKI Your guide to celebrating the season. 22 // FROM THE BOTTOM TO THE TOP Indian Ink's new play. 30 // WHIRLING HOME Julien Van Mellaerts. 32 // GALLERY OF GALLERIES Take a tour of 10 of the city's best. 34 // COLLAB REVEALS TREASURES Doors open on new exhibition. 40 // THE LAST WORD Writer Carl Nixon.
ON THE COVER
A pioneer in what has become an explosion in Te Reo music-making, Maisey Rika reflects on a career guided by her love of waiata.
It really is 20 years since Bic Runga released Beautiful Collision. She talks about its genesis, and looking forward to bringing the songs back to Christchurch.
20
GOING SLOW
Indie musician Jazmine Mary is one persona of Jazmine Rose Phillips, a complex artist who defies categorisation and says simply ‘It’s all me’. Image: Jim Tannock. NEED TO GET IN TOUCH? Advertising, editorial & distribution enquiries: 03 366 3340 info@somocreative.co.nz cityscape.co.nz PUBLISHED BY
SOMO Creative Ltd somocreative.co.nz Cityscape is a division of SOMO Creative Ltd. Cityscape is subject to copyright in its entirety. Opinions expressed in Cityscape are not necessarily those of Cityscape. Editorial contributions welcome. No responsibility taken for unsolicited submissions. Prizewinners will be notified by phone and email. If Cityscape is unable to contact the winner within 14 days, Cityscape reserves the right to draw another winner. Cityscape reserves the right to use image/name of competition entrants for publicity purposes.
24
ROCKING THE DREAM
ISSN 2324-4879 print | ISSN 2324-4887 online
Self-described “mindaltering riff hypnotists" Pieces of Molly.
Discover the deep, rich flavours of often overlooked cuts of meat made tender by time. Bon appétit!
04 CITYSCAPE.CO.NZ City Edit July 2023
FOR MORE NEWS, INTERVIEWS, CULTURE AND EVENTS HIT UP CITYSCAPE.CO.NZ
NEWSFEED TIP-OFFS, TRENDS & MORE
TROY ADDS STRINGS TO HIS BOW You’ve loved him in the Vogel’s ads, in the movies, on the radio, on the stage. Now, prolific songwriter and serial collaborator Troy Kingi will join forces with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra for a performance not to be missed. All the ingredients are there for a repeat of the legendary Shapeshifter/CSO gig of 2006! Christchurch Town Hall, Sat 5 Aug, eventfinda.co.nz
ARTISTS FIND HAVEN AT ARTS CENTRE
LADIES NIGHT
PECS TO MEET YOU Kiwi audiences can check out their own Magic Mike when Ladies Night hits the nation’s stages in September, including the James Hay Theatre. Actor Mike Edward is head stripper Barry in the production. Like the boys in the play, he’s been working on his six-pack for the part. A few more press-ups, Mike, and you’ll have nailed it! Written in 1987 by Anthony McCarten and Stephen Sinclair, Ladies Night is a global theatrical hit. It has been translated into 16 languages and continues to sell out productions the world over. James Hay Theatre, Sat 30 Sep, premier.ticketek.co.nz
TIKI TAANE HEADLINES GO LIVE! A who’s who of artists, including beatmaster Tiki Taane, will rock the Town Hall with the return of winter music festival Go Live! Some of our best emerging indie, hip-hop, rock and pop bands. Chch Town Hall, Sat 29 July, premier.ticketek.co.nz
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Photographer and writer Hōhua Kurene, musician Lisa Tui Jonathan and visual artist Megan Brady have made The Arts Centre their home under its winter Creative Residency programme. For Lisa Tui, the 3-month residency allows her to continue her work with taonga pūoro, or traditional Māori instruments. Megan wants to research her ancestral awa, Rakahuri/ Ashley River. For Hōhua , it's a chance to build the kind of connections with other creative people that his art projects grow from. artscentre.org.nz
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BALLET SHINES ITS LIGHT It all began on 30 June, 1953. At the Playhouse Theatre on Auckland’s Karangahape Road, Danish dancer Poul Gnatt, the founding father of ballet in New Zealand, assembled a small group of young dancers to present two evenings of short ballets and excerpts from the classics. 70 years and more than 300 national, regional and international tours later, the Royal
New Zealand Ballet will celebrate its platinum anniversary with a special programme, Lightscapes. The programme premieres in Wellington on 27 July and will be at the Isaac Theatre Royal in August. Lightscapes features the world premiere of the haka-inspired Te Ao Mārama, by Moss Te Ururangi Patterson; Serenade (1934), George Balanchine's first full-length ballet in
America; and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s Requiem for a Rose, created for Pennsylvania Ballet in 2009. Closing the programme is Logos by company alumna Alice Topp (Aurum, Absence of Light), created for The Australian Ballet in 2020 and inspired by the storms we all weather – fears, fights, darkness and demons. Isaac Theatre Royal, Sat 5 Aug – Sun 6 Aug, rnzb.org.nz
JUST OPENED
UP ON THE ROOF
MITCH JAMES
When this old world starts getting you down, head to the city’s newest rooftop bar. The One is an exquisite restaurant and bar with rooftop views of the CBD and a menu that puts a modern twist on authentic French cuisine. Specials include beef fillet, baked market fish and duck. Open for breakfast, happy hour and dinner at 699 Colombo Street. theonerestaurant.co.nz
Kiwi singer-songwriter Mitch James is on his first headline world tour, playing 30 dates globally in celebration of his album patience, released in November. And when that’s done, he will wrap the tour with 13 shows across Aotearoa, his first in four years. James Hay Theatre, Sat 1 Jul
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STENCIL
EXPERIENCE THE DIFFERENCE 363 COLOMBO STREET, SYDENHAM • THECOLOMBO.CO.NZ
NEWSFEED
GIVE US AN F...
COLLIDING WITH BIC
Just what we need to dispel those winter blues – a festival! The Midwinter Session is Ōtautahi's newest, featuring food, musicians, street artists and a selection of the finest beers, wines and spirits. All under the sheltering cover of Wolfbrook Arena (formerly Christchurch Arena). Acts confirmed include Imperial April, Volts and The In Crowd, with more names to come! Christchurch Arena, Sat 22 Jul, premier.ticketek.co.nz
Bic Runga burst onto the music scene in 2002 with the album Beautiful Collision and hasn’t looked back, wowing audiences here and overseas ever since. To mark the 20-year anniversary of that release, Bic is touring the album’s songs and bringing them back home to Christchurch. The album, Bic’s second, features the hits “Get Some Sleep”, “Something Good” and “Listening for the Weather”. Isaac Theatre Royal, Fri 21 Jul, livenation.co.nz
FERRYMEAD GETS LIT
SUFFRAGIST MUSICAL ON SONG
Ferrymead Heritage Park lights up with the return of Illuminate Light & Sound, a showcase of lights and interactive features. Around every corner will be something to touch, look at, smell or hear. Alongside all that will be food trucks, rides and amusements. Illuminate Light & Sound is on Friday to Sunday for three weeks. Photographers welcome! Ferrymead Heritage Park, Fri 30 June – Sun 16 July, eventbrite.co.nz
From its debut in 2015, That Bloody Woman, Luke Di Somma and Gregory Cooper’s punk-rock musical about the life of suffragist Kate Sheppard, has been a runaway success. Showbiz Christchurch brings it all back home with its production at Christ’s College Auditorium. Headed by a female creative team that includes Christchurch’s Mel Luckman as director. Christ’s College Auditorium, Wed 5 – Sat 15 Jul, nz. patronbase.com
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NEWSFEED
JUST A NORMAL FAMILY
EMILY IS OUR ELIZA
There’s plenty to chew over in The Court Theatre’s new production, Next to Normal. The rock musical centres on a mother struggling with bipolar disorder and the strain that has on her husband and two children. Beneath the surface of a perfect loving family, everyone is struggling. The Pulitzer Prize winner has been a smash hit, with The Court’s production the latest to grace an international stage. The Court Theatre, Sat 17 Jun – Sat 22 Jul, courttheatre.org.nz
Emily Burns stars as Cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle in Showbiz Christchurch’s production of the muchloved musical My Fair Lady. Joining the cast will be the CSO for a score that features such show-tune classics as “Wouldn't It Be Loverly?”, “I Could Have Danced All Night” and “Get Me to the Church on Time”. Roy Snow is Henry Higgins, the speech expert who sets out to turn our humble flower girl into “a proper lady”. Isaac Theatre Royal, 21 – 30 Sep, premier.ticketek.co.nz
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NEWSFEED
WHAT'S ON CULTURE CALENDAR
JULY HENRY ROLLINS MUSIC Henry Rollins has toured the
world as a spoken-word artist, as frontman for both Rollins Band and Black Flag and as a solitary traveller favouring roads-less-travelled locales. James Hay Theatre, Fri 7 July, undertheradar.co.nz
THAT BLOODY WOMAN THEATRE A musical about suffrage
campaigner Kate Sheppard, created by Christchurch locals Luke di Somma and Gregory Cooper. Christ’s College Auditorium, Wed 5 – Sat 15 Jul, nz.patronbase.com
JAZMINE MARY MUSIC Breakout indie musician and
artist Jazmine Mary is bringing songs of hope to Christchurch after releasing a second album, Dog. Wunderbar, Sat 15 July, undertheradar.co.nz
BIC RUNGA MUSIC Bic Runga burst onto the
music scene in 2002 with Beautiful Collision and hasn’t looked back. Now, to mark the 20-year anniversary of that release, Bic is touring the album’s songs and bring them back home to Christchurch. Isaac Theatre Royal, Fri 21 Jul, livenation.co.nz
THE MIDWINTER SESSION FESTIVAL The Midwinter Session is
Ōtautahi's newest winter festival, featuring an incredible lineup of food, musicians, bands, street artists, and of course, a selection of the finest beers, wines and spirits. Christchurch Arena, Sat 22 Jul, premier.ticketek.co.nz
DIRTY WORK: AN ODE TO JOY THEATRE Indian Ink, the team
behind Krishnan’s Dairy and Mrs Krishnan’s Party, return with a production that fuses comedy, drama and choral singing. Isaac Theatre Royal, Fri 28 – Sat 29 July, premier.ticketek.co.nz
GO LIVE FESTIVAL MUSIC Over a dozen live acts on
four stages at the Christchurch Town Hall – Go Live is an all-ages event with some of our best emerging indie, hip-hop, rock and pop bands. Christchurch Town Hall, Sat 29 July, premier.ticketek.co.nz
AUGUST THE APPLETON LADIES' POTATO RACE THEATRE The stoush over
unequal prize money for men and women reaches Appleton’s famous Potato Race. A punchy comedy about standing up for what you believe in. The Court Theatre, Sat 5 Aug – Sat 9 Sep, courttheatre.org.nz
CSO & TROY KINGI MUSIC Prolific songwriter and
serial collaborator Troy Kingi joins forces with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra for a performance not to be missed. Christchurch Town Hall, Sat 5 Aug, eventfinda.co.nz
RNZB: LIGHTSCAPES DANCE A collection of works that
celebrates the endless possibilities of light, space and the human body. Isaac Theatre Royal, Sat 5 Aug – Sun 6 Aug, premier.ticketek. co.nz
RANDY FELTFACE COMEDY Philosopher-puppet
Randy Feltface completes his Feltopia world tour in New Zealand with a string of dates including Christchurch. Randy has carved out a unique niche on the international comedy circuit. So much more than just felt! Aurora Centre, Wed 9 Aug, premier.ticketek.co.nz
NZO/NZSO BLUEBEARD’S CASTLE PERFORMANCE This innovative and
moving production from Theatre of Sound (UK) reimagines the work as a love story between a longmarried couple living with dementia. Christchurch Town Hall, Sat 12 Aug, premier.ticketek.co.nz
NEWSFEED
SEPTEMBER DANCE NATION THEATRE Somewhere in small-town
America, a troupe of dancers is ready to claw their way to the top. The Court Theatre, Sat 23 Sep – Sat 21 Oct, courttheatre.org.nz
MY FAIR LADY THEATRE Showbiz Christchurch and
DANCE NATION
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE: MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
ELTON JOHN VS. BILLY JOEL
THEATRE Top Dog Theatre Company
bring their hit tribute show to Christchurch. All your favourite songs from a pair of piano men. A Rolling Stone, Tue 29 Aug, eventfinda.co.nz
brings back The Bard for 2023, after delighting audiences with their productions in 2021 and 2022. Isaac Theatre Royal, Thu 17 – Sat 19 August, premier.ticketek.co.nz
PERFORMANCE Duo Cam & Sam
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the CSO combine to tell the story of Eliza Doolittle and Professor Higgins. Isaac Theatre Royal, Thu 21 – Sat 30 Sep, premier.ticketek. co.nz
LADIES NIGHT THEATRE Hit play Ladies Night
returns home after becoming a global hit. New cast, new buff bods, just as funny as ever. James Hay Theatre, Sat 30 Sep, 4pm & 8pm, premier.ticketek.co.nz
NEWSFEED
BUZZ CLUB BRINGS THE STORM
TIME TO MULL The boys from Buzz Club have been busy coming up with fresh ways to serve their mead to the modern drinker. Edward Eaton and Wilbur Morrison founded Buzz Club in 2021. The mead they make is a far cry from the version that was supped in the Middle Ages. Then and now, the base is fermented honey but rather than the sweet and syrupy drink of old, Buzz Club mead is crisp and light, with an alcohol content of 5.5 percent, about the same as a craft beer. The drink is turning sceptics into converts at first sip. The challenge has been getting people to have a try. So following their super thirst-quenching summer offerings of Buzz Mojito, Buzz Collins and The Bee-Sting (Buzz Mead and gin), Edward and Wilbur have gone back to the lab to concoct some winter warmers. Here’s a first taste – the Buzz Club Dark and Stormy, ideal for when you are inside looking out. thebuzzclub.co.nz
BUZZ CLUB DARK & STORMY INGREDIENTS • 100-120ml Buzz Club Kāmahi Blossom + Lemon Mead • 1 lime • ice • 45ml dark rum • Angostura bitters METHOD 1. Halve your lime, put it in a tall glass and muddle to release the juice. 2. Fill the glass with ice. 3. Pour in 100-120ml Kāmahi Blossom + Lemon Mead, leaving room to float the rum on top. 4. Gently pour 45ml of rum on top to create a dark layer – the storm! 5. Add 5-6 dashes of Angostura bitters and garnish with a lime twirl.
Check out the recipe video at cityscape.co.nz
Just those heady aromas wafting up your nostrils is enough to make mulled wine a winner at this time of year. Sure there are plenty of sachets and spice mixes you can buy but for us, there’s nothing like a made-from-scratch mix of wine, fruit and spices mulling on your stovetop, its divine aroma the very essence of winter cheer. Don’t raid the cellar’s best for your bottle of red. Anything dark, fruity and full-bodied will do the trick – it needs to be big-boned enough to support the flavours you are adding. Think Argentinian malbecs, Chilean merlots, Californian zinfandels or Australian shiraz or cabernet. Look for descriptions like “jammy” or “notes of vanilla”. Mulled wine is all about the fruit and spices so get them in there – whole cloves, cinnamon sticks, star anise, nutmeg, lemon peel, candied ginger, even a bay leaf or three. A tot of Cointreau, rum or brandy in the final mix will bring it all together for you. And yes, you can use old wine – the spices will soften any acidity that has developed. You will find plenty of mulled wine recipes online. Feel free to make it up as you go though – it’s a technique more than a recipe. Taste and tweak as you go. One thing to watch – don’t let the wine boil as this will remove the alcohol from the drink and can cause the spices to become bitter.
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NEWSFEED
S
LAPPING UP PUPPY LOVE
eeing a dog in your local café or restaurant is becoming commonplace since law changes nearly 10 years ago. We have so many dog-friendly businesses now, it would be easier IS IT JUST US OR IS CENTRAL to list the unfriendly ones. But CHRISTCHURCH LOOKING MORE AND what’s the view like from the other MORE LIKE PARIS, LONDON OR MILAN? side of the counter? And what do the dogs think? A new Food Act in 2014 removed prohibitions on animals being allowed in food premises. Businesses can now choose to let dogs into customer dining areas as long as they manage any risks to food safety. In Christchurch the council has also got on board. A new dog control policy and bylaw in 2016 replaced a mishmash of regulations with one easy-to-understand rule for the entire central city – dogs on a leash are good to go. The change allows leashed dogs in Dux Dine Cathedral Square, Victoria Square, New Regent Street, Cashel lot of the customers, and the staff.” Mall and New Brighton Pedestrian Visiting dogs must be on a lead, Mall, where dogs were previously well-behaved and be kept 5m from prohibited. the kitchen. At The Colombo in Sydenham, Alisha feels people are more the precinct’s central area is accepting since COVID. Not just dog-friendly for friendly dogs on a about dogs either. “The mindset lead. Management team member has changed. People are kinder and Jenette Thomson says The more forgiving.” Colombo doesn’t just tolerate One thing that would make life dogs, it celebrates them. Last easier for the Black Betty crew year’s Colombo Dog Fashion Show would be if people making a was a huge hit and will be repeated booking told them if they were in October. bringing a dog along. “We once While the central area is dog counted eight dogs inside on a friendly, each store in The Colombo rainy day. It was all fine but it’s a has its own policy so you’ll need to busy venue and we have to watch check with staff whether it’s OK for overcrowding so it’s great if to bring your dog into your when you are booking you can tell favourite shop. us you have a dog,” Alisha says. At Black Betty café, they get a For over 30 years, Dux Group lot of dogs in. “We love our fur has welcomed furry friends and babies,” says manager Alisha always has fresh water bowls Parata. “They bring a lot of joy to a
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available. Dux Dine and Dux Central also have Dog Beer for sale. Sister venue Sumner Social also welcomes dogs in its outdoor area. The only requirement is that all dogs are on a lead. Ross Herrick, operations manager at The Dux, says there are very few problems. Although he once had to ask a guest to put her dog on a leash. “She took offence, stating that her dog never bothers anyone, at which point I turned and pointed to her very large dog across the courtyard. It had its paws up on another table asking for food from the occupants.” At Maestro Hospitality, Group Venue Manager Erin Duck says they love dogs at all their venues – No.4, Beach and Fiddlesticks. “All our staff love interacting with friendly pups when they come in; it is such a treat for us.” At No.4, dogs are welcome in the outside courtyards. At Beach, they are welcome on the dog deck and in the picnic table area. At Fiddlesticks, dogs are welcome on the boulevard. Dogs are required to be leashed and on their best behaviour. “We hope for well-socialised dogs that are polite and happy to be in a bustling environment," Erin says. Teaching your dog some new skills will also make a visit to a café or restaurant more fun for everybody. Geoff at canine services centre Kuri says a dog’s worst nightmare is to be tied up, especially in a busy café. Unable to run away or freeze, all they can do to protect themselves is fight. Teaching your dog a “down and stay” command means they will settle. Even better, with a “crawl” command, you can get your dog to hide under the table or a chair.
Still telling truths
Muso, writer and food entrepreneur Flip Grater talks inspo, crosswords, Paris noodles and learning to temper the truth with tact.
W
hat’s one thing people probably don’t know about you? My birth name is Clare, my Muslim name is Mariam and my actual nickname is Flipper, although most people call me Flip. You probably first popped up on many people's radar as a musician. Tell us about that part of your life? Yeah I worked in the music industry for many years, touring and recording. It was a great lifestyle and creative outlet. But after my daughter Anais was born I just felt like I needed to do more for the planet than singing sad songs! Do you still find time for performing? I haven't played in public for a while but Anais and I play and sing around the house and I still love making
music. I will always write and play because it's who I am. I'm just not doing it professionally at this moment in time. If you weren’t doing what you are now, what would you want to be doing? I'd still be playing music and writing books. In fact, I'm still dabbling in those things! I'm touring with Tim Finn in September and slowly working on my next cookbook. What’s the best advice your mum ever gave you? “In order to right a systemic wrong, you need to swing the pendulum all the way to the other side.” She was talking about equity over equality well before I'd ever heard those terms in common use. Also this beautiful two-word sentence: “Try tact.” This was helpful for me as an outspoken young activist who decided my role in our family would be Truth-Teller and subsequently went around pissing everyone off. How did you get started on Grater Goods? As I say I really felt a sense of urgency around climate change when Anais was born so I pivoted into food as a form of delicious activism. I had come back from living in Europe with the habit of having Apero at the end of the day but I couldn't find anything to eat with a nice glass of pinot so I started experimenting with making types of plant-based charcuterie. Eventually I came up with some recipes that were decadent and satisfying and I thought, perhaps others would like these too. Turns out they did! You call it ethical hedonism – it's like
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WHO ARE YOUR CULINARY HEROES? IMAGE: AMANDA MARSAILS
‘What's the point of saving the planet if we're all having a terrible time on it and eating horrible food?’
Samin Nosrat.
Derick Sarno
Yotam Ottolenghi
Miyoko Schinner
MEET THE LOCAL
IS THERE A PARTICULAR BOOK OR AUTHOR THAT HAS INSPIRED YOU IN YOUR LIFE OR CAREER? Three books in my case. Mycophilia: Revelations from the Weird World of Mushrooms by Eugenia Bone; The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle; and Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts by Brené Brown.
having your cake and eating it too, isn't it? Absolutely. It's about not having to compromise your pleasure for your principles. I mean, what's the point of saving the planet if we're all having a terrible time on it and eating horrible food? Are you pleasantly surprised or still impatient at the rate of adoption of plant-based food alternatives? The change in attitude around these foods has taken a long time, with enormous efforts from policymakers, filmmakers, activists and businesses. But the popularity we've seen recently has been rapid and heartening. Consumers are increasingly making more sustainable choices. And with better and better plant-based options coming onto the market, those earthconscious choices are getting easier and easier to make. Christchurch seems a fertile base for such a venture. Why do you think that is? Christchurch has always been an underrated space for innovation but we've always been doing it. And the support we've received locally from customers, like-minded businesses, investors, mentors and government groups has been amazing. We're really proud to be Canterbury-based and I personally love being a part of changing the story we're telling the world as a food region. What’s your favourite guilty pleasure? Rom coms. What advice would you give to your younger self? You have to spend
time to make time. Meditation and mindfulness practice don't just improve your life, they make time behave differently. What album/song do you have on high rotation at the moment? “Careless Woman” by Tami Neilson. If anyone sees the Grater Goods EV driving around Ōtautahi, my daughter and I are probably inside it shouting the lyrics to this song at the top of our lungs. What’s your favourite way to spend a Sunday afternoon? At this time of year it's a jigsaw puzzle, a glass of Canterbury Pinot and a good podcast. Then the Sunday Star-Times crosswords with my step-father and sister via Skype. We started doing this every week during lockdown in 2020 and now it's a staple Sunday activity. Go-to meal to whip up? Generally it's some kind of rice noodle soup. In Paris there was this noodle place called Happy Nouilles (happy noodles) so we call most bowls of noodles Happy Noodles but my go-to is a flat rice noodle in a clear broth. Another quick weeknight family staple is some hot rice served with cold fresh tofu, some greens, kim chi and homemade chilli oil. What’s your go-to spot in Christchurch? Miss Peppercorns for mapo tofu and pickles. Utopia for ice cream. Salut Salut for wine. Lyttelton Markets for tempeh and veges. Bohemian Bakery for bread. gratergoods.co.nz
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MARKING MATARIKI MATARIKI MARKS THE START OF THE NEW YEAR IN AOTEAROA, THE START OF A NEW GROWING CYCLE AND TIME TO REMEMBER, CELEBRATE AND LOOK TO THE FUTURE.
T
he star cluster Matariki rises during Pipiri (June/ July) and becomes visible before sunrise as a faint sparkle of tiny dots above the north-east horizon. As Polynesian settlers adapted to their new land of Aotearoa, they realised that the rising of the star cluster signalled the start of a new growing cycle. How the stars looked also carried a signal – clear bright stars are a good omen, while hazy stars foretell a cold, harsh winter. When the cluster disappears in April/May, it is time to preserve crops for the winter season. Matariki is also said to mark the moment the spirits of those who have died over the past year become stars. After centuries of celebration within Māori communities, other New Zealanders are embracing what really is our unique occasion. Since last year we also mark it with a public holiday – the first to be grounded in indigenous culture rather than brought from elsewhere. In line with Māori tradition, official Matariki celebrations are themed on: • Remembrance: Honouring those we have lost since the last rising of Matariki. • Celebrating the present: Gathering together to give thanks for what we have. • Looking to the future: Looking forward to the promise of a new year. Ōtautahi Christchurch has some excellent spots for sighting Matariki. You will need to be in position about 5:30am so don some woollies, fill your Thermos and head for the hills. You want a good view to the north and east, out to sea off the coast of New Brighton. To find the cluster, start by spotting The Pot or Orion’s Belt (the bottom three stars of The Pot are known as Tautoru) in the east not far above the horizon. A little to the north, you will see a bright orange star – this is Taumata-kuku. Draw an imaginary line between Tautoru and Taumata-kuku, then keep following that line further to the north until you hit a cluster of bright stars. Congratulations! You've found Matariki.
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MARKING MATARIKI
MATARIKI EVENTS
Ka Noho, Ka Mate // From local musicians, there’s a new show called Ka Noho, Ka Mate, created with the kaupapa of Matariki in mind. The performers are Lyttelton music legend Delaney Davidson; university lecturer, reo teacher and hip hopper Kommi Tamiti-Elliffe; theatre and orchestra veteran Heather Webb; singer-songwriter and producer Mark Perkins; and Taipua Adams, stalwart of the Wellington underground scene. Matariki Mākete // On Sunday 9 July, Māori artists and craftspeople will join regular stallholders to show and sell their art and crafts at The Arts Centre’s Matariki Mākete. Aro // Bilingual duo Charles and Emily Looker are Aro. Their music includes elements of folk, soul, haka and a touch of jazz. They will be performing He Rākau, He Pepeke (Tales of our Trees), inspired by the natural heritage of Aotearoa. th’Orchard // Mark Vanilau (musician, songwriter) and Solomon Smith (spoken word, vocalist, musician) return to the festival stage this year. Get ready as
TĪRAMA MAI The annual Puaka-Matariki festival of light will this year feature specially commissioned artwork and several interactive installations. Victoria Square will be host, with innovative installations lighting up the area, projecting onto surrounding buildings and illuminating the Avon River Precinct. Victoria Square, Fri 7 – Sat 15 July, 5 – 10pm, ccc.govt.nz
MATARIKI AT THE ARTS CENTRE Te Matatiki Toi Ora The Arts Centre has nearly three weeks of celebrations in its Matariki festival programme, which runs from 3 – 20 July. Maisey Rika // The award-winning singer-songwriter and Arts Foundation Laureate tops the festival bill. Maisey Rika rarely tours to the South Island and The Arts Centre is bringing her to Ōtautahi for one performance in the majestic setting of the Great Hall.
they share their stories through song and spoken word. Visual Arts // An exhibition of selected works by well-established and earlier-career Māori artists in Pūmanawa gallery is curated by Ngahina-Belton Bodsworth, who has put together a layered exploration of intergenerational influence, support and challenge. Artist Maxine Burney is offering a series of Navigating Your Arty Self workshops in her studio for anyone wishing to begin or extend their exploration of sketching, drawing and colour. Heritage star-gazing // Join a small group tour of the rebuilt Observatory Tower and view the Southern Sky through the Victorian-era Townsend Teece Telescope, under the guidance of Townsend Observers from the University of Canterbury. Lumière Cinemas // A sisterhood of Māori female directors share their insights into the complexity of child abuse in Waru, a sequence of eight short films that seamlessly become one.
DID YOU KNOW? Matariki is an abbreviation of Ngā Mata o te Ariki (Eyes of God) in reference to Tāwhirimātea, the god of the wind and weather. In the story of creation, when Tāne Mahuta (god of the forest), separated his parents, Ranginui and Papatūānuku, his brother Tāwhirimātea got upset and tore out his eyes, crushed them into pieces and threw them into the sky. These fragments became the star cluster Matariki.
Pōhutukawa (Asterope) Waitā (Taygeta) Waitī (Maia)
Tupuānuku (Pleione) Tupuārangi (Atlas)
Hiwa-i-te-rangi (Celaeno) Waipuna-ā-rangi (Electra)
Matariki (Alcyone)
Ururangi (Merope)
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‘IT’S ALL ME’ Y
ou seem to keenly reject explaining yourself or your art. Why is that? Explanations are for people on trial. I make music and art as myself. All I know is how to do and be that. The reason I make music and art is to connect in a space outside of words and all the fake little things we build around us. It is a knowing and a need. I don't explain it because I cannot and I wouldn't dare. Where does ‘Dog’ fit in your development as a musician? Big departure or continuation? It is all one big continuation. Hard to depart from something that is me. It’s been a big few years for you – are you able to reflect back on it all or are you still in the middle of it? Both. There are some feelings I’m still catching up on, like a pile of paperwork I need to get to, but I'm also very present in now. Releasing and sharing music is really nice for that as it makes a stamp in time of a collection of things I can go back to later. A little more honest than the memory. What would success as an artist look like for you? It looks like making music and following the feeling. It looks exactly like this. What is one thing that you hope audiences take away from your performances? I hope they feel something, and I hope they get a kiss and fall in love. Will this be your first Christchurch gig? I have played a few shows in Christchurch. The one that comes to mind was at Space Academy. We did a show where we
life-modelled for each other's sets and the audience would sketch us while one of the acts played live. It was really beautiful – because everyone was busy drawing there was no clapping, just the scribbling of pencils, so there was this really wonderful tension. What can the audience at the Wunderbar expect from your show? Best to never expect anything, but I hope to move you and maybe scare you a little and make you feel something, anything. You can however expect one thing and that's a solo set by Vera Ellen, who is an amazing musician joining me from Wellington. You have more than one artistic persona – can you tell us about them? I wouldn't say I have different personas, a few different personalities maybe. I do different art forms but it’s all me. I do performance art and that’s a really important art form for me in that it’s without rules and is in nature very anti-capitalist and begs to disrupt. My next show is called Their Feet Did Not Touch the Ground and is based around recorded conversations I had with a friend, Farhad Bandesh, while he was imprisoned in Australia while trying to seek freedom. How do you prepare for a gig? Just by taking a quiet moment. I write myself a little sweet something at the bottom of my set list. How do you relax? I play guitar and drink gin, and I go look at fish. I love fish. Wunderbar, Sat 15 July, undertheradar.co.nz
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IMAGE: JIM TANNOCK
Breakout indie musician Jazmine Mary is bringing songs of hope in an often cruel world to Christchurch after releasing a second album, Dog. Jazmine Mary is one persona of Jazmine Rose Phillips, a complex artist who defies categorisation and says simply ‘It’s all me’.
‘IT'S ALL ME’
‘I hope to move you and maybe scare you a little and make you feel something, anything.’
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FROM THE BOTTOM TO THE TOP
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heatre director Justin Lewis happily admits to sometimes making life difficult for himself. And for his creative partner of 25 years, Jacob Rajan. Why else write a play featuring a choir that changes every night and whose members don’t know the plot? It’s not a theatrical conceit designed to show how clever the Indian Ink collaborators are. That’s beyond doubt anyway. No, for Justin, the concept is central to how their new play works. The audience gets to see how the chorus members respond in real time to what’s going on around them, remembering that they have not seen the play before.
The play in question is Dirty Work: An Ode to Joy, No.11 to come out of the Indian Ink partnership, which started with a roar 25 years ago with Krishnan’s Dairy. That play is still our most successful independent show. It has toured nationally and internationally, several times to sold-out audiences. In Dirty Work, the office computers are down and the boss in India wants the impossible. The middle manager, his assistant and their chorus of office workers are making a mess of things. Enter the cleaner, who becomes the hero, despite sitting at the bottom of the office hierarchy. For Justin, the play is about class
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and the reversal of our expectations. “You see the cleaner in a different way. Everyone is changed from rubbing up against the character.” He sees echoes of the way our cleaners, checkout operators and other “invisibles” were lauded as essential workers during the pandemic. “And hasn’t that all been forgotten – we raised them up as heroes but then quickly forgot.” Rather than limiting, Justin sees the challenge of a different choir every night as inspirational. “The challenge for us was how to create a show with a community choir knowing that we wouldn’t be able to rehearse the story with them. We had to figure that out,
‘You see the cleaner in a different way. Everyone is changed from rubbing up against the character.’
and it led us to some interesting places. Creativity comes out of limitations and restrictions. Freedom is impossible. We need limitations to give us a set of things to work with.” “The lovely thing is now that we’ve figured it out, it’s effortless for the performers and effortless for the choirs.” Not effortless to begin with, though. Choir Viva Voce and its musical director, John Ross, were essential to the process. “We could only put this show on with that collaboration. John and the choir worked with us, testing ideas and making suggestions. It was an essential collaboration because it
was about working out how to make it work.” Looking back on the company’s stellar run, Justin admits to it being beyond anything he could have imagined. “Jacob and I started out making one play, then we went on to three and then we decided to make some more. We just kept going.” The success of Krishnan’s Dairy also keeps going, with a national tour last year selling out. “The play blazed a trail for now a couple of generations of performers to consider careers in ways they may not have otherwise. I bump into people who say things like I saw Krishnan’s Dairy and decided to make my career in
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the performing arts,” Justin says. So what’s next for Indian Ink? “We don’t know but we’ve got to come up with something! There’s a full slate for next couple of years with bookings. We’ve got Mrs Krishnan’s Party touring the US. The existing repertoire has a lot of life in it. “Jacob and I are taking time now to take a breath and think about our next shows. We’re mid 50s and I figure that means we’ve got another 10 years, which for us is another four shows. We’re thinking about that.” Dirty Work: An Ode to Joy, Isaac Theatre Royal, Fri 28 – Sat 29 July, indianink.co.nz
PIECES OF MOLLY ARE DOUG STEWART (BASS), SAM KUBIAK (GUITAR), EWEN GLASGOW (VOCALS, GUITAR) AND KURT FLEMING (DRUMS).
IMAGE: TESS BURROWS
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ROCKING THE DREAM F
or Christchurch band Pieces of Molly, the last few years have been a whirlwind of recording, performing and rubbing shoulders with their idols backstage. It’s been a blast. Forget that warning about meeting your heroes. The Datsuns were awesome, and lovely guys as well, says singer and guitarist Ewen. So were Shihad when Pieces of Molly opened for them at the James Hay Theatre in September. And Head Like A Hole. And US band Sasquatch, who they supported on an Australia and New Zealand tour last year. In fact, says other guitarist Sam, all the musicians they have met have treated the band like friends and been really generous in sharing their knowledge. Pieces of Molly came together when Ewen, Doug and Sam met at Jazz School. There was a break while Ewen was overseas, then the band reformed when he got back. The current lineup has been around for six years. Coming up at the end of July is the band’s second appearance at Go Live!, the first since the winter music festival moved to the Christchurch Town Hall. Pieces of Molly are one of 14 acts on the bill, which boasts the best emerging local indie, hip-hop, rock and pop acts. It’s another chance for the band to get their music out there after the release of their first album last September. Called Pieces of Molly, the album has garnered good reviews and has had two singles chart in the Top 10. What’s on the set list for the
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Town Hall? “We’ll be cranking the album, and there will be some of our old bangers in the mix. Also some new stuff that is unrecorded and we’ll be road-testing the songs in front of an audience,” says Ewen. Onstage, the self-described “mind-altering riff hypnotists” channel their influences of Black Sabbath, Motorhead, The Who – hey, the whole classic rock pantheon – into a high-energy display of head banging, hair swinging and guitar shredding. Pieces of Molly have built the kind of fanbase that means sing-alongs from the audience at gigs – which they love. And following those dates in Australia in support of US band Sasquatch, they’ve fielded inquiries asking when they will be coming back. The momentum continues, with the band heading back into the studio this year to work on their second album. What with work and family, there must be a lot of juggling going on? “We’ve built it into our daily lives now. Performing is always happening, writing songs is always happening, recording is always happening. We’ve all got good family support as well, while we are living the dream,” says Sam. For now they’re keeping their day jobs while they wait on that viral hit to propel them to global fame. When will that be? “Could be any moment,” says Ewen. Damn straight. Go Live!, Christchurch Town Hall, Sat 29 July, premier.ticketek.co.nz piecesofmollyepk.com
IMAGE: ABE MORA
WAIATA TO THE WORLD Maisey Rika is bringing her Matariki-inspired songs to Ōtautahi as part of the city’s celestial celebrations. A pioneer in what has become an explosion in Te Reo music-making, Maisey reflects on a career guided by her love of waiata.
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our photo is very striking. Can you tell us about the shoot? Thank you very much. I think it’s the setting. I grew up with Abe Mora, who took the photo. The red korowai is from Toi Māori. The black and white dress is from Rotorua designer Adrienne Whitewood. The hei tiki was carved by Rikki Peters. That was the first photoshoot since receiving my moko kauae. The photo is taken by one of our waahi tapu (sacred places) here in Whakataane, Te Ana o Muriwai (Muriwai’s Cave). I love the exposed roots of the old pōhutukawa tree and the green kawakawa plants that surround this site. The red, black and white in the clothing remind me of my tino rangatiratanga and mana motuhake. The roots remind me of where my grounding and bearing is and this whole area reminds me of my tiipuna. It is calming to my soul. Matariki has become much more of a national event, particularly now with a public holiday. Do you see any risk there to its traditions? There are no risks in terms of learning about Matariki and celebrating Matariki, only gains as a culture, as a nation, and this benefits greatly our connection to Te Taiao (the environment). Matariki is the first ever First Nation/Indigenous-led holiday in the world. I’m very proud of that and hope other First Nation cultures around the world feel supported, heard and inspired to align their own such days. The world is richer for the knowledge of its First Nations! You must be excited by the explosion in Te Reo music-making that’s going on? I am excited for Māori artists who
may not have grown up in their tūrangawaewae learning Te Reo Māori. So excited for them to learn it through their passion for music. What a beautiful place to start their journey to themselves, their reo, their tūrangawaewae, their maunga, their awa, their waka, their marae, their hapu, iwi and whaanau – there is a whole world in a language. For the non-Māori picking up the wero, it’s about time, lol! If we want kotahitanga, if we want to action ‘he waka eke noa’, we need to model it – the arts and music is the space to lay that wero down. Te Reo gave you your first taste of success at age 15 with the album Hine – what are your memories of that? Success? I didn’t even know what that meant at that age! I just did the do! Miss Kingi, my mum, my aunties, my haka tutors said do something I just did it. At five my mum would take me to her band rehearsals, sometimes even her gigs at the pub. She’d also take me to her wānanga as she was studying to become a nurse at the Waiāriki Polytechnic in Rotorua at that time and they would have wānanga at marae. She’d get me up to sing at the end of the night and the song was always ‘Pōkarekare Ana’. I noticed people going quiet, smiling, crying, applauding – they felt something and this something imprinted that warm fuzzy feeling on me. At age five I knew that waiata was something I loved to do. At 14 I went on my first trip overseas to Japan and that was through a talent quest I didn’t even win, lol! The Japanese whaanau running it rang mum and I still went on that trip and what a trip it was!
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It opened my eyes up to the world doing what I love – singing waiata Māori, swinging poi, performing action songs, wearing haka uniform – it was/is the norm to me. Do your songs start off in the language they end up in, or can that change as the song develops? Over the years I have grown in confidence. The tunes and melodies are there, they (for me) come out of nowhere and when you least expect. The kaupapa or theme is key. If I have been sitting in a state or if there is something pressing and heavy on my heart or something inspiring and uplifting in the air and I can’t hear it being shared anywhere else, I need to fill that gap and share or express. I actually have to – it won’t leave me alone otherwise. That’s how strong the pull can be sometimes. As a creative you need to give time to waananga your ideas, thoughts, experiences and interpretations otherwise you can go a li’l crazy if you don’t! Getting back to the question though, no matter the language you start or finish in, the world you grew up in, the world you want to portray out to the rest of the world, that world will shine through! Who would you love to collaborate with? Visual artists, painters, sculptors, designers, dancers, weavers, productions, movies, directors, choirs, orchestras, other First Nation artists. I love working with rangatahi, our nation’s budding artists, as well. What is your favourite item in your wardrobe? Oh, it depends on the season. In summer it’s my lavalavas, in winter it’s my Mana Marama jerseys and slippers. The most treasured thing I wear is my moko.
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IMAGE: AILEEN CHEN
‘MAKING BEAUTIFUL COLLISION WAS ABOUT MAKING SOMETHING THAT ... FELT TIMELESS TO ME.’
20 BEAUTIFUL YEARS
It really is 20 years since Bic Runga released Beautiful Collision. She tells Cityscape about its genesis, and how much she is looking forward to bringing the songs back to Christchurch in an anniversary concert.
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erforming Beautiful Collision in Ōtautahi will bring back a flood of memories no doubt? Yes it's always really fun to play Christchurch and see old friends. I haven't lived there since the late ‘90s but I still look forward to being there, it does feel like coming home. What are your recollections of putting the album together? Making Beautiful Collision was a good time in my life. I wasn't sure what to do with myself after high school. I failed to get into art school so I got a job at the CD Store in Cashel Mall. After a year I moved to Auckland and pursued music instead. My first album, Drive, did well – it was kind of a surprise. It took me to live in New York and I toured the US and Europe. Beautiful Collision was the follow-up album, and I just remember all of that being a good time, a coming-of-age time – living away from home, missing my parents, who were still living in Christchurch. A lot of the themes on the record are about homesickness and missing people. What’s often called ‘the difficult second album’ looks from the outside to have been a triumph for you. How did you feel about it at the time? A few years had passed since the first album and there were lots of things I regretted and cringed about on the first album. So making Beautiful Collision was about making something that I could live with and not feel embarrassed about, that felt timeless to me. What for you are the most enduring songs
from the album? I think “Get Some Sleep”, which is very autobiographical, it's just about touring incessantly. And “Listening for the Weather”, which was written like a letter home to my Dad. I also still like “When I See You Smile” and “Gravity”, but I do still like most of the whole album. What are you looking forward to about being back in Christchurch? I love showing my kids Christchurch, they really love it. They love The Arts Centre and the Botanical Gardens. It seems like a really fancy place to them – they've not seen gardens and buildings like that before, it really is beautiful. You have a strong sense of style – who are your favourite Kiwi designers? Helen Cherry, Zambesi, Nom D, Kate Sylvester, Boh Runga Jewellery, Karen Walker, Deadly Ponies, Gloria, Penny Sage, Paris Georgia... I could go on and on all day, there's so many great independent New Zealand labels
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who have been doing consistently great work for years. What’s the favourite item in your wardrobe? My sister Boh gave me a silver Raymond Weil watch for my 40th birthday, I had no clue how to wear a watch and how dressed it can make you feel even when you're just in jeans and a T-shirt. I feel like something is missing without it now, especially because it's from her and has huge sentimental value. Are there any up-andcoming Kiwi musicians you are following? The band I'm bringing to Christchurch all play in other bands, so I follow and admire their work outside of me playing with them. Kody [Nielson] is from Unknown Mortal Orchestra. They're easily one of my favourite bands. They just played Glastonbury – it's crazy to see how well they're doing overseas at the moment. Cass [Basil] plays in Tiny Ruins, who released a beautiful new album this year, but she also plays with The Veils, who also do really well overseas. And Crystal [Choi] has her own group called Phoebe Rings, which is such pretty music. So many talented musicians around at the moment, I worry some of it flies under the radar here at home but it’s good to see New Zealand bands making it out in the world. Isaac Theatre Royal, Fri 21 Jul, bicrunga.com
WHIRLING HOME
ith your growing international success, how often do you get to perform at home these days? Sadly not as much as I would like. Luckily I was back last September and October for the At the World's Edge Festival in Central Otago, now for a couple of months with New Zealand Opera and again later this year for Wozzeck with Orchestra Wellington, but that is out of the ordinary, haha. I hadn’t been home for 3½ years before last September, and in 10 years abroad now I think I’ve only been back several times. But I am hoping to change that! Take us through what has happened to you since you left our shores. It has been a whirlwind, that is for sure! I first left to audition and see if this operatic career was even a possibility. I was offered a scholarship to study at the Royal College of Music in London, and that was the best decision I made. I studied there for four years on the Masters of Performance programme and then the International Opera School, and it all kicked off from there. I’m now back teaching at the Royal College of Music actually, which is hugely rewarding. Since 2017 I have been a full-time freelance opera singer travelling the world, working with some of the world’s best musicians and singers, and I couldn’t be luckier or happier with what I get to do for a living! When did you start to see opera as a possible career? I’m not from a musical family at all. My first love was really the IMAGE: BENJAMIN REASON
After 10 years learning his craft on the international opera scene, Kiwi baritone Julien Van Mellaerts is home for the role of Guglielmo in New Zealand Opera's Cosi fan Tutte. He tells Cityscape he’s having a ball in rehearsals and also reacquainting himself with steak and cheese pies.
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WHIRLING HOME
piano, and I had to nag my parents to let me learn. They eventually caved and my seventh birthday present was piano lessons. I always sang as a kid in choirs, school shows etc, and I didn’t even see an opera until I was 16 or 17 on a school trip. I loved it. I’m not sure exactly when I saw it as a real career for me to be honest. I loved singing and knew I wanted to sing for a living all my life, but I didn’t know how that worked or what it looked like. So becoming an opera singer was more by accident than good management. When I moved to London and saw how it might work as a career, I think that’s really when I thought this was a possibility. The first aria (song) I sang from an opera was when I was 16 or 17 from Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, an opera I’ve now done in four different productions. That aria (Figaro’s Act 1 aria) is one I sang in Salzburg with Sir András Schiff conducting and Rolando Villazón directing just before the pandemic. A wonderful full-circle moment. Anyone you credit with getting you started? My family, for sure. My parents and brothers have always been and continue to be super supportive. I also had a very informative piano and music teacher as a kid, who supported me the whole way through my studies and early stages of my career, Neville Nielsen. Sadly he passed away during the pandemic, but he was still around for some of my big milestones in Europe. Dame Kiri Te Kanawa has been an enormous support since I moved to London as well. Now living between London and Spain and part of the international opera scene – do you still pinch yourself at times? 100%! I can hardly believe it most days. A healthy dose of imposter syndrome I think keeps a musician driven. Seriously though, I get to sing for a living. It is a dream come true. How do you keep your voice healthy? New Zealand craft beers... nope, probably shouldn’t say that. Everyone has their own
‘I loved singing and knew I wanted to sing for a living all my life, but I didn’t know how that worked or what it looked like.’
COSI FAN TUTTE
routine and it’s important to know what works for you. For me I try to exercise, eat well, drink loads of water, rest when I can etc. Sometimes I succeed, sometimes not. But the main thing is keeping the voice working well and using your technique and not pushing or shouting or taking on too much. I’m hyper aware of my voice I think, so I know when I need to stop or when I can keep going. There’s no shame in saying no either. We can’t do everything, and the voice does take priority. It pays my bills after all! How do you prepare for a performance? Any rituals or superstitions? I was once told you should never have any rituals because what would happen when you can’t do them! The main thing is sleep and rest beforehand. Don’t over-exert yourself on the day of a show or concert. You want to be fresh, so it’s forced rest sometimes, or avoiding being too social/busy beforehand. I try to have a nap in the afternoon if I can – maybe that’s the Spanish living coming
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through – and then warm up physically and vocally and just stay hydrated and focused. What have you been looking forward to about being back home? Steak and cheese pies, and my family. My Nana is 95 years young and going strong. It was a highlight of this trip to spend some time with her in Mount Maunganui. It’s been priceless to also spend time with my aunts, cousins and friends. There really is no place like home. Also, New Zealand native bush is just so stunning, there’s nothing else like it. Tell us about Guglielmo, your role in Cosi fan tutte. Guglielmo is a role I have always wanted to sing. I love singing Mozart. The cast and creative teams are amazing. We have had a ball discovering this show together. Isaac Theatre Royal, with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, Wed 28 Jun – Sun 2 Jul, nzopera.com Read our full Q&A with Julien at cityscape.co.nz
GALLERY OF GALLERIES
FROM PUBLIC TO PRIVATE, LARGE TO INTIMATE, ŌTAUTAHI CHRISTCHURCH IS WELL SERVED BY ITS SELECTION OF ART GALLERIES. TAKE A TOUR WITH US AROUND 10 OF THE BEST.
JASON GREIG, FORTUNA, 2021, MONOPRINT / PAINTED INK IMPRESSION, 890 X 670MM — NADINE MILNE GALLERY
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CHRISTCHURCH ART GALLERY TE PUNA O WAIWHETŪ Start with the city’s public gallery, an impressive glass-fronted building in Montreal Street where you’ll find everything from the classics to contemporary works. christchurchartgallery. org.nz
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The bridge between the streets and the galleries, Fiksate is an urban art hub unlike anything else in the country. It’s gritty, it’s on the edge, and it’s just a real cool space to be in. fiksate.com
Having been in the business for over 100 years, Windsor Gallery has kept up with the times and sports an excellent collection of contemporary original works from over 30 artists, including Joel Hart, Andris Apse, Anneke Bester and Svetlana Orinko. windsorgallery.co.nz
The Centre of Contemporary Art Toi Moroki, better known as CoCA, is run in Gloucester Street by Canterbury Society of Arts Charitable Trust to foster people’s connection and appreciation for modern art. coca.org.nz
Jonathan Smart has proven to be an important part of the Christchurch arts scene, showcasing a wide range of contemporary art and supporting artists in the city. jonathansmartgallery. com
WINDSOR GALLERY
FIKSATE
COCA
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JONATHAN SMART GALLERY
GALLERY OF GALLERIES
MESSING THE FIELD: NEW WORKS BY JAMIE TE HEUHEU AND LEIGH MARTIN — THE CENTRAL
ZINA SWANSON, STRANGE POMANDER, 2021 — JONATHAN SMART GALLERY
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THE CENTRAL ART GALLERY This dealer gallery in the beautiful Arts Centre Te Matatiki Toi Ora library building displays works by established and sought-after New Zealand artists. thecentral.co.nz
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This Hereford Street gallery is a showcase of contemporary New Zealand artists working in oil painting, abstract painting, sculpture, photography, installations and mixed media. www.nadenemilnegallery. com
Chambers Art Gallery opened in July 2011 and exhibits the work of leading and emerging New Zealand artists, representing artists and their work across a range of practices, including painting, printmaking, photography, sculpture, pottery and installation. chambersart.co.nz
This Bealey Ave art gallery represents leading contemporary New Zealand artists. It is directed by Marian Maguire in association with Nigel Buxton, both of whom are artists. pggallery192.co.nz
Artist and graphic designer Paul Rees opened Cube Art Gallery in High Street last year after picking up his brushes again during the disruptions of COVID lockdown. As well as his own paintings, Paul exhibits reproductions of Old Masters and more recent works. cubedesign.co.nz
NADENE MILNE GALLERY
CHAMBERS
PG GALLERY192
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CUBE ART GALLERY
COLLAB REVEALS TREASURES T
he doors are open on the reshuffle of Christchurch’s gallery and museum spaces, with a Christchurch Art Gallery and Canterbury Museum collab showing at the art gallery and an exhibition at the Centre of Contemporary Art marking that gallery’s reopening. As we reported in January, Canterbury Museum has closed its doors for five years for a major redevelopment. A decision to open a pop-up museum on the first floor
of the nearby CoCA building has enabled that gallery to reopen on the ground floor after prohibitive costs for upgrades to its 1968 modernist building shut the doors in May last year. While we await the museum pop-up’s opening at CoCA, the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū exhibition Ship Nails and Tail Feathers beautifully illustrates the potential for collaboration between gallery and museum. Taonga (treasures) from
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each collection have been handpicked by curators from both institutions, making for an unusual selection of the rare, the exquisite and the extravagant. Meanwhile, an exhibition by artist Tia Barrett marks the reopening of the Centre of Contemporary Art. Its ground-floor exhibition space, Ō Papa Gallery, will host Barrett’s He Pounamu Ko Āu, which likens the resilience and perseverance of mana wāhine Māori to the journey of pounamu rising to the surface of the earth's crust. Gallery Director Blair Jackson says combining the collections provides a rare and rich experience for curious visitors. Brought together, the objects, art and adornments tell fascinating stories about how people lived and what they valued. Canterbury Museum Acting Director Sarah Murray says the museum is thrilled to be collaborating with the gallery in showcasing the taonga from Aotearoa, Te Moana nui a Kiwa (the Pacific) and around the world. Joining the Ship Nails and Tail
COLLAB REVEALS TREASURES
Feathers exhibition will be a very special piece of Māori cultural heritage. Te Rā is the only known customary Māori sail in existence. Held in the collection of the British Museum, the more than 200-yearold taonga has been shown to the public only once. At nearly 4.5m metres long and featuring a complex three-way pattern woven from harakeke, Te Rā is a feat of weaving technology and a reminder of the rich history of Māori sailing and navigation.
Weaver Ranui Ngarimu ONZM (Kāti Māmoe, Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Mutunga), a member of the research team who initiated the exhibition, says Te Rā is one of the earliest surviving examples of the Māori art of raranga (weaving). “This exhibition is deeply significant for the way it builds on our cultural and historical knowledge of Māori weaving and voyaging. The incredible skill of those early Māori weavers and the innovative techniques and
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technology they developed are truly awe-inspiring,” she says. “This is where artistry meets history.” Ship Nails and Tail Feathers, Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, Sat 10 Jun – Mon 23 Oct. Te Rā: The Māori Sail, Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, Sat 8 Jul – Mon 23 Oct. He Pounamu Ko Āu, an exhibition by Tia Barrett, Ō Papa Gallery, CoCA, Sat 24 Jun – Sun 30 Aug.
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ot everyone made sourdough during the lockdown. Some of us explored the glorious world of slow cooking and revelled in discovering the deep, rich flavours of often overlooked cuts of meat made tender by time. We’re converts now, looking forward to the cooler months when we can get the tools out. It helps that there’s such a wonderful range of options, from high-tech standalone slow cookers to heritage cast-iron Dutch ovens guaranteed for three generations. Then there’s the Le Creuset range, coveted by cooks since ages ago for their quality and also their good looks. Hearts and pumpkins have joined the range of classic round casseroles. So let’s get started! Here’s a delicious slow-cook recipe to warm up your winter, and a chat with Nathan Anthony, the food blogger who found a slow road to fame. Bon appétit!
TAGINE-STYLE PULLED LAMB SHANKS WITH CUCUMBER YOGHURT The Middle East meets the Canterbury Plains in this mouthwatering Le Creuset recipe. Serves 4 – 6. INGREDIENTS • olive oil • 4 small lamb shanks, trimmed • salt and pepper • 20g store-bought Moroccan or tagine seasoning mix • 4 baby onions, peeled & halved • 2 garlic cloves, minced
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• 1 cinnamon quill • ½ tsp dried chilli • 50g tomato paste • 1x 400g tin of whole tomatoes • 500ml beef stock
FLAVOURS
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athan Anthony fell back in love with slow cooking during the lockdown. He even set up a food blog, Bored of Lunch, to spread the word about the joys of the Dutch oven. Out of that came Bored of Lunch: The Healthy Slow Cooker Book, packed with dishes from pastas and risottos to curries and family favourites. How did you fall in love with slow cooking? My mum always had one growing up and the food always tasted great – delicious stews and curries. When I went to university I started using my slow cooker because it was easy. It allowed me to put my dinner on to cook in the morning, go to lectures and complete my university work without fighting with my housemates to use the hob. Plus it’s healthier and tasty, no need for oil. Sounds like convenience played a big part? Definitely. Even after finishing university working as a graduate I could meal prep and cook food on low during the day whilst I worked and come home to a meal ready. It also gives extra capacity for meal planning and preparation on a Sunday. What’s your favourite slow-cooked dish? Oh, that’s a tough one, I’ve so many. Probably my Creamy Chorizo, Sundried Tomato Penne. Not a dish you’d think would be a slow cooker recipe but cooking your pasta in the sauce is so
METHOD 1. Heat a 24cm casserole with a good splash of olive oil. Meanwhile, season the shanks. Once the casserole is hot enough, sear off the lamb shanks in batches until evenly golden. Place in a large dish and sprinkle with the Moroccan seasoning and a little extra olive oil, then toss to coat.
JUST LIKE MUM
convenient and saves you time and money. Why boil a kettle or saucepan when your sauce can cook the pasta for you? What’s one lesson you had to learn the hard way? When it comes to using a slow cooker always add less liquid than you think you need. It’s very easy to add more if required but harder to take away or thicken if you’ve added too much to begin with. Cast-iron Dutch oven or standalone slow cooker – any preference? Definitely slow cooker for me, a lot of them have a “keep warm” setting so if hosting or feeding a crowd you can switch on that setting. The recipes work perfectly in a Dutch oven too
2. Preheat the oven to 160deg. In the same casserole, drizzle a little more olive oil. On a medium heat, sauté the onion halves until golden and add the garlic, cinnamon and chilli. Sauté for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the tomato paste and cook out for 2 minutes. Add the tinned tomatoes and the stock, bring to the boil and then simmer. Add the lamb shanks, making sure they are submerged.
though. Slow cooking is synonymous with meat dishes. Anything here for the vegetarian or vegan? Oh absolutely. You can make the most incredible risottos and vege curries, or even pasta dishes using orzo. Any of the recipes in the book you can replace the meat with vegetables or your favourite plant-based alternative. Your lockdown project took off – has it replaced your day job? It has. I juggled both for three years out of love and enjoying being busy but it got to the point it was unsustainable and there’s only one of me. I wouldn’t change a thing and can’t wait to focus full-time on Bored of Lunch. Any plans for future books? Absolutely, I’ve just finished writing my third cookbook, which I can’t wait to share with you all.
Bored of Lunch: The Healthy Slow Cooker Book, by Nathan Anthony (Ebury Press, 2023)
3. Put the lid on the casserole and place it in the oven for 3-4 hours until the meat falls off the bone, checking that the shanks are submerged throughout cooking to avoid the meat becoming tough or dried out. You can serve the shanks as they are on the bone or remove them from the casserole and allow to rest for 30 minutes before pulling them apart with forks and placing them back in the sauce.
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4. Check the sauce for seasoning as it will have gained flavour in the cooking process. Adjust if necessary. TO SERVE Flatbreads or pita breads, toasted. Fresh herbs (eg. mint, basil, parsley.) Zesty cucumber yoghurt. lecreuset.co.nz
ENTERTAIN ME
BINGEWATCHING 02 01 03
What we’re hoovering up on the small screen.
01 — CREAMERIE, SEASON 2 It’s straight back to the Wellness bunker and its dastardly milking machines when Season 2 of this dark comedy drops on July 14. Alex (Ally Xue), Jamie (JJ Fong), Pip (Perlina Lau) and male survivor Bobby (Jay Ryan) flee rural Hiro Valley and go on an epic road trip to bring cult leader Lane (Tandi Wright) to justice and uncover the truth about the “mandemic”. 02 — EXTRAORDINARY Set in an alternativeuniverse London where young people acquire a superpower sometime around their 18th birthday, the series follows Jen (Máiréad Tyers), a 25-year-old who has yet to “power up” and is struggling as a result. Meanwhile her friends can fly, channel spirits, control technology, even induce orgasms with a single touch. Handy. 03 — SILO A community of 10,000 people bound by regulations they believe are meant to protect them live in a giant silo that extends hundreds of stories underground. Based on the Wool series of novels by author Hugh Howey, this dystopian premise is the basis for an exploration of power in society, who holds it and who it keeps in check. Gripping and addictive!
READING
VITAMIN C+: COLLAGE IN CONTEMPORARY ART
ACCIDENTALLY WES ANDERSON – WALLY KOVAL
Over 100 global artists working with collage, as chosen by a team of art experts – an indispensable who's who of the most exciting and innovative names working in the medium. Collage is an artistic language comprising found images, fragmentary forms, and unexpected juxtapositions.
A visual adventure of Wes Anderson proportions, authorized by the legendary filmmaker himself: stunning photos of real-life places that seem plucked from the world of his films, with fascinating human stories behind each facade.
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HOUSEPLANTS AND HOT SAUCE: A SEEK-AND-FIND BOOK FOR GROWN-UPS. This cheeky seek and find features illustrated scenes from the life of a modern gal – from brunch with friends to shopping for succulents – with clever and funny challenges on every page.
ENTERTAIN ME PLAY LIST
The killer tracks on high rotation in the Cityscape office.
MAISEY RIKA ‘Matariki Tāpuapua’ Ngā Mata o Te Ariki Tāwhirimātea
Listening EVERYTHING BUT THE GIRL: FUSE
Returning from a 20-year hiatus brought on by parenthood, Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt have been back in the studio and this is the result. Fuse is the 11th Everything But the Girl album. The Guardian is among several high-profile publications to post a 5-star review. Pitchfork called it a “triumphant new album … bewitching and soul-baring”.
LUCINDA WILLIAMS: STORIES FROM A ROCK N ROLL HEART American singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams has been delighting fans and casual listeners for decades with her country-tinged songs of love, loss and long distances. Stories from a Rock n Roll Heart is her 15th studio album and marks
her return from a stroke suffered in 2020. Hence the jubilation on opening track “Let’s Get the Band Back Together”. Old mate Bruce Springsteen jumps in on “New York Comeback”. The album coincides with publication of her memoir, Don’t Tell Anybody the Secrets I Told You.
TROY KINGI ‘Elephant In The Room M.Z’ Year of The Ratbags & Their Musty Theme Songs
PETER GABRIEL ‘Big Time’ So
SJD: SWEETHEART Indie darling Sean John Donnelly, AKA SJD, is back with his ninth studio album, a post-pandemic paean to “finding one’s way outside again and rediscovering the beauty of this place and the people who live in it”. The stars come out again for this musician’s musician, with Tami Neilson, Julia Deans, Anika Moa and James Milne joining perennial collaborator Don McGlashan.
PODCASTS
WHO WHAT WEAR Former Elle editor Hillary Kerr is your direct line to the designers, stylists, beauty experts, editors and tastemakers shaping the fashion and beauty world. Episodes cover everything from emerging trends and talent to talks with industry icons.
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JUDY BLANK ‘Mary Jane’ Morning Sun
SET MO ‘I Belong Here’ Single
SHE ADVENTURES NZ “Inspiring convos with rad women doing cool stuff outdoors in NZ” is the SOE-rich tagline to this podcast. Nuff said? Here are the stories of dozens of Kiwi women adventurers, from walking the Te Araroa Trail to mothering in the mountains.
THE LAST WORD
Y
ou do like the adage ‘Write what you know’, don’t you? I think writing what you know allows me to get all the details right, which makes the writing feel authentic. Also in order to sustain a long-term writing project you need to feel passionate about it. Writing about places and people that you're familiar with is, for me anyway, more motivating than a completely imagined world. Having said that, my third novel, The Virgin and the Whale, was a historical story set in 1920, which involved a lot of research. How long has this story been bubbling away? What was its inspiration? The Waters is an unusual hybrid; a novel where each chapter is a short story. I’ve been writing short stories since the beginning of my career and had a collection published in 2006 called Fish ‘n’ Chip Shop Song and Other Stories. I've been writing short stories on and off between novels and plays since then but what I discovered was that those stories tended to be about the same people – a family living down Brighton in Christchurch. There was a father, a mother, two boys and the younger sister. I was particularly interested in the eldest son, Mark. The earliest story in what became The Waters probably dates from about 2007. What do you hope readers will take from it? I hope that readers will encounter a family who, although fictitious, struggle with many of the same issues real families in New Zealand are dealing with. The collection takes place over 40 years, starting in 1978 and finishing just before the COVID pandemic. In a way it's a slice of New Zealand history filtered through a small group of individuals, each of whom has their own issues to deal with. Any chance we might see it as a stage adaptation one day? Although I do sometimes adapt my fiction for the stage, I don't think the broad scope of The Waters lends itself very well to theatre. Although I
BRINGING IT ALL BACK HOME
If anyone can be called a ‘Christchurch writer’, it’s Carl Nixon. He’s never felt the need to look elsewhere than Ōtautahi and the South Island for either setting or characters. He talks to Cityscape about his new novel, The Waters, which traces 40 years in the life of a Christchurch family.
should never say never. Who knows what might happen. Landscape is often a character in your writing rather than just a backdrop. Any thoughts on that? I do have a love of the New Zealand landscape, particularly the South Island and especially New Brighton and the Port Hills. In The Waters, my characters do spend a lot of time in New Brighton, which is where the kids are raised and where their father has a housing development he's working on in the late 1970s. Do you feel there is a consistent theme in your work? It's hard for a writer to identify their own themes. Broadly speaking, I suppose I'm interested in families and particularly the culture of individual families that feeds through into the personalities and fates of the
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children. And then the adults they grow up to be. Looking back on growing up in Christchurch and the South Island, can you see influences in your writing? One of my earliest influences was Owen Marshall who's short stories particularly are rooted in the landscape of the South Island and sometimes Christchurch. It certainly never occurred to me that my own writing needed to look elsewhere for either setting or character. What excites you about Christchurch in the winter? I'm a big fan of the change of seasons. Although I enjoy summer, I love the brisk days of winter and dressing up in jerseys and jackets. I also play masters’ football, so winter is the football season. These days I play in the over 50s division so as you can imagine the quality of the football has diminished over the years. The camaraderie and enjoyment of the game though has only become stronger. Any advice for those thinking of a writing career? A writing career in New Zealand is probably never going to be lucrative simply because of the small size of the market. It probably pays to first marry someone extremely rich or win Lotto. Or win the Booker Prize with your first or second novel – that would definitely help. The Waters, by Carl Nixon (Penguin Random House, $37). Available from 1 August.
Read our full Q&A with Carl at cityscape.co.nz
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